Afghanistan

Lord Rowlands: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 27 October (Official Report, col. 1218), which are the 14 provinces under the authority of the Government of Afghanistan.

Lord Howell of Guildford: I wish to clarify my Answer of 27 October 2010 (Official Report, col. 1218) on the provinces under the authority of the Government of Afghanistan. I can confirm the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has full sovereign authority, including for security, over all 34 Afghan Provinces. Endorsed by United Nations Security Resolution 1386 and subsequent resolutions, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) assists the Afghan National Security Forces in the maintenance of security throughout Afghanistan. Work is now under way to set up a conditions-based process, overseen by a joint Afghan-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation board, to assess the readiness of provinces to start the process of transition from an ISAF to an Afghan security lead. We are confident that a number of provinces will be assessed as ready to begin transition in the first half of 2011, but we should not pre-empt the recommendations of the board.

Agriculture: Census

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to minimise paperwork affecting farms, in particular twice-yearly censuses, saved seed declarations and re-mapping for various schemes.

Lord Henley: Defra does not carry out twice-yearly censuses. The only census we run is the June Census of Agriculture, which is required to be carried out only once every 10 years under EU Regulation 1166/2008. We introduced a threshold into the 2010 census so the smallest farms (of which there are around 100,000 in England) were not surveyed, and we only collected the minimum information possible to meet legal requirements. In non-census years we run a smaller sample survey to capture information on the structures of farms in terms of crop areas, livestock populations and farm employee numbers. A project is currently under way to substantially reduce the sample size and volume of information required from 2011 onwards.
	The second largest agricultural survey run by Defra, known to many as the December Census of Agriculture, has not been a census since the mid 1950s. This survey captures information on winter sown crop areas and cattle, pig and sheep populations under EU Regulations 543/2009 (crops) and 1165/2008 (livestock). The sampling size for this survey, which was 15,000 in 2009 (a sampling rate of 7 per cent), has been reduced to 5,000 for 2010 by using administrative sources such as the cattle tracing system (for cattle populations) and the sheep and goat inventory (for sheep populations).
	The data obtained by the June and December surveys has many uses. For example, crop areas are used heavily by industry as estimates of the potential size of the cereals harvest and livestock data is collected to monitor long term trends in livestock populations and to estimate the effects of common agricultural policy reform on livestock sectors. The data are also used heavily in calculations for the inventory of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
	Declarations of the use of farm saved seed are the responsibility of the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB), which acts on behalf of its members who hold the plant breeders' rights. The Food and Environment Research Agency, which has overall responsibility for the plant breeders' rights legislation, understands that the BSPB works efficiently to collect this information from farmers and makes the declarations as simple as possible.
	In relation to re-mapping, we will look to see that lessons are learnt from the recent Rural Payments Agency's mapping update exercise so that, going forward, the burden on farmers is minimised. During the next round of common agricultural policy reform we will be placing a particular emphasis on simplification, including reviewing the necessity of requiring the sometimes very small changes to maps that are currently demanded.
	Finally, the Task Force on Farming Regulation was set up in July 2010 to identify ways of reducing regulatory burdens on farmers and to advise on how best to achieve a risk-based system of regulation. The task force is consulting widely and will report to Government in April 2011. A full list of members and terms of reference can be found on the Defra website at http://ww2.defra.gov.uk/2010/07/09/_farm-review/.

Armed Forces: A400M

Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate they will be free to disclose the acquisition costs of the A400M aircraft.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Major Projects Report 2010 published a forecast figure for the UK A400M programme of £3,231 million. However, a detailed breakdown providing specifically the cost of the A400M design and production phase contract requires the consent of all the partner nations, Organisation Conjointe de Co-operation en matiere d'ARmement (OCCAR) and Airbus Military. It is for this reason we do not expect to disclose the information.

Armed Forces: A400M

Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they received any representations from British industry before 25 October about publication of the acquisition costs of the A400M aircraft.

Lord Astor of Hever: No such representations have been received.

Armed Forces: A400M

Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to have to start training air crew for the A400M aircraft.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to have to start training ground crew for the A400M aircraft.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they anticipate will be the average cost of training a member of the ground crew of the A400M aircraft.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how long they estimate it will take on average to train a member of the air crew of the A400M aircraft.

Lord Astor of Hever: We expect to start training UK aircrew and ground crew for the A400M aircraft in 2014.
	The Ministry of Defence is currently in the invitation to negotiate stage prior to placing a contract to meet the training requirements for ground staff and aircrew to use the A400M. Costs are therefore not yet available and provision of our estimates would prejudice commercial interests.
	We estimate that the initial training course for UK A400M pilots will last approximately 15 weeks and that for air loadmasters approximately 11 weeks.

Armed Forces: A400M

Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) civilian staff, and (b) uniformed staff, are currently engaged in the assessment of options for the in-service support of the A400M aircraft.

Lord Astor of Hever: There are 11 military and three civilian personnel dedicated to developing in-service support options. They are supported by up to another five civilian personnel who also provide functional support to the rest of the A400M project team.

Armed Forces: A400M

Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the assessment phase to consider options for the in-service support of the A400M aircraft began.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government when the assessment phase to consider options for the in-service support of the A400M aircraft will conclude.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the result of the assessment of options for the in-service support costs of the A400M aircraft.

Lord Astor of Hever: Initial gate approval, which marks the start of an assessment phase in such a project, was given on 24 May 2006. We expect the assessment phase to conclude by the end of 2011. The results of our assessment of options can not be published as they are commercially sensitive. I can, however, confirm that the process will include a full value-for-money assessment, as well as ensuring that the chosen solution is suitably robust while also providing the necessary levels of operational flexibility.

Armed Forces: A400M

Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the analysis of options for the in-service support costs of the A400M aircraft will cost.

Lord Astor of Hever: Funding for the in-service support assessment phase was set as part of the initial gate approval in May 2006 and is estimated at £913,000.

Armed Forces: A400M

Lord Gilbert: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what duties (a) the civilian staff, and (b) the uniformed staff, currently engaged in the assessment of the in-service costs of the A400M aircraft were employed before they were transferred to their present duties.

Lord Astor of Hever: Of the 14 dedicated in-service support personnel, 13 are either currently serving or ex-military and were selected for their specific skills and experience. The other civilian team member has also been selected for specific logistic skills.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the comparative war load of weapons that Tornadoes and Harriers carry when the temperature in Afghanistan exceeds 25 degrees Celsius.

Lord Astor of Hever: There is no impact on the standard operational load of weapons on the Tornado GR4 and Harrier GR9 when the temperature in Afghanistan exceeds 25 degrees Celsius. Comparatively, the Tornado is more capable. Its standard load carries more weapons enabling greater flexibility whilst on missions. Specifically:
	the Tornado GR4 when fitted with the LITENING III advanced targeting pod can carry three Paveway IV weapons, three Brimstone guided missiles and one cannon loaded with 135 rounds of 27 millimetre ammunition. Alternatively, when fitted with the RAPTOR reconnaissance pod the Tornado GR4 can carry two Paveway IV weapons and one cannon loaded with 135 rounds of 27 millimetre ammunition; andthe Harrier GR9 when previously on duty in Afghanistan and fitted with the Sniper advanced targeting pod could carry two Paveway IV weapons, two CRV-7 unguided rocket pods (38 rockets total) and one Digital Joint Recce Pod (DJRP). The two CRV-7 Pods could be replaced by two additional Paveway IV weapons; or two Maverick missiles; or one CRV-7 Pod and one Maverick missile respectively.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the average annual running costs, including personnel and materiel costs, of a squadron of Tornado GR4 aircraft.

Lord Astor of Hever: A broad estimation is in the order of around £20 million per annum. This figure includes the direct variable costs of fuel, servicing and squadron personnel, but does not include fixed costs such as basing, platform support costs, or depreciation.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what weapons systems are qualified to be carried on each of Harrier GR9 and Tornado GR4 aircraft.

Lord Astor of Hever: The following table gives the targeting and reconnaissance pods, air to ground weapons and air to air weapons that have been cleared to be carried by Tornado GR4 or Harrier GR9. Currently, not all of these systems are in the inventory for these aircraft.
	
		
			  Tornado GR4 Harrier GR9 
			 Targeting/Reconnaissance Pods   
			 Litening 3 (Recce/Datalink) Advanced Targeting Pod Yes No 
			 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod Yes Yes 
			 Reconnaissance Airborne Pod Tornado (RAPTOR) Yes No 
			 Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod (DJRP) Yes Yes 
			 Thermal Imagining Airborne Laser Designator Pod (TIALD) Yes Yes 
			 Air to Ground Weapons   
			 Paveway IV (500lb GPS/Laser Guided Bomb) Yes Yes 
			 Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone Missile Yes No 
			 Legacy Brimstone Missile Yes No 
			 Storm Shadow Yes No 
			 Mauser BK-27 Cannon Yes No 
			 Air Launched Anti Radiation Missile (ALARM) Yes No 
			 Paveway II (1000lb Laser Guided Bomb) Yes Yes 
			 Paveway III (20001b Laser Guided Bomb) Yes Yes 
			 Enhanced Paveway II (10001b GPS/Laser Guided Bomb) Yes Yes 
			 Enhanced Paveway III (20001b GPS/Laser Guided Bomb) Yes No 
			 Enhanced Paveway II+ (10001b GPS/Laser Guided Bomb) No Yes 
			 CRV-7 Rocket Pod No Yes 
			 Maverick AGM-65 No Yes 
			 10001b Dumb Freefall/Retard Yes Yes 
			 5401b Dumb Freefall/Retard Yes Yes 
			 Air To Air Weapons   
			 AIM-9L Sidewinder Yes Yes 
			 Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM) Planned 2012 No

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average cost of a flying hour for a Tornado GR4 and a Harrier GR9.

Lord Astor of Hever: The average cost per flying hour of Tornado GR4 and Harrier GR9 are around £35,000 per hour and £37,000 per hour respectively.
	These costs are based on total fleet costs (including manpower, servicing, stock consumption, aircrew training, accommodation etc, depreciation and cost of capital charges).

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the average availability of each of the Tornado GR4 and Harrier GR9 aircraft types during deployments to Afghanistan.

Lord Astor of Hever: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 4 November 2010 (Official Report, col. WA428), to the noble Lord, Lord West of Spithead.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Tornado can take off from and land on the Kandahar runway when half of it is blocked by enemy action such as Taliban indirect fire.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Harrier can take off from and land on the Kandahar runway when half of it is blocked by enemy action such as Taliban indirect fire.

Lord Astor of Hever: Operations from or to a damaged runway would have to be assessed on a case by case basis.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the response time for the Tornado getting airborne in support of an urgent request from ground forces.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the response time for the Harrier getting airborne in support of an urgent request from ground forces.

Lord Astor of Hever: When held on ground-based close air support (GCAS) alert both Harrier GR9 and Tornado GR4 are declared to operational commanders with the same required readiness state response time. I am withholding the exact GCAS required response time for these aircraft as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the capability of the land-based Tornado to support a British task force operation in the Falklands in the event of an invasion making Mount Pleasant airfield unavailable for British use.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the capability of the carrier-based Harrier to support a British task force operation in the Falklands in the event of an invasion making Mount Pleasant airfield unavailable for British use.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Government are unequivocally committed to the defence of the Falklands.
	I refer the noble Lord to the Secretary of State's comments during the Security Defence and Security Review debate on 4 November 2010 (Official Report, col. 1072W) in the other place. I am withholding further information as its release would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. Our current defence posture in the Falklands is much stronger than that which pertained in the early 1980s. We now have aircraft deployed in defence of the Falkland Islands, currently the Typhoon. We also have a range of further capabilities to deter any aggression.

Armed Forces: Aircraft 1

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the Tornadoes in service have a precision guided ground attack capability.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the Harriers in service have a precision guided ground attack capability.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any fixed-wing aircraft in the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force order of battle that can attack shipping with precision-guided weapons.

Lord Astor of Hever: The majority of Typhoons, all Tornado GR4s and all Harriers have a precision-guided ground attack capability, which can also be used to attack shipping.

Armed Forces: Alcohol

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce levels of alcohol consumption among Armed Forces personnel before and after operational deployment.

Lord Astor of Hever: Individual consumption limits and the sale of alcohol are regulated, particularly, but not only, when personnel are serving operationally. These controls are supported by disciplinary measures. All three services run robust programmes designed to raise awareness and promote the message of sensible drinking. These programmes address all serving personnel but, where individuals are identified as being at risk, counselling and welfare support are offered. More serious cases are treated through specialist medical and psychological treatment and rehabilitation, including where appropriate as inpatients.

Arms Trade: Global Treaty

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to win support at the United Nations for a robust arms trade treaty designed to establish minimum standards on all conventional arms sales.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK is committed to securing a robust and effective arms trade treaty and played an active and constructive role at the start of negotiations in July 2010.
	The Government are working with UK defence industry and non-governmental organisations to build support for the arms trade treaty, including by funding outreach and research projects, and regularly discusses the arms trade treaty with both sceptical and supportive countries. We will continue to support the UN process, in partnership with other arms trade treaty advocates, as it moves towards the Diplomatic Conference in 2012.

Benefits

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much would be saved if child benefit for 16 to 19 year-olds in full-time education were withdrawn.

Lord Sassoon: There is estimated to be around £1.8 billion that would be saved if child benefit for 16 to 19 year-olds in full-time non-advanced education were withdrawn in 2011-12. This change would affect families at all income levels.
	The Chancellor stated at the time of the Spending Review that no further changes to child benefit would be required, beyond those already announced.

Children: Care

The Earl of Listowel: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each local authority, how many looked-after children had (a) between five and nine, and (b) more than 10, placements in the years ending (1) March 2009, and (2) March 2010.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The information has been placed in the Library. The number of looked-after children with 10 placements during the year has been provided for completeness.
	
		
			 Table 1: Children looked after at 31 March with (a) between five and nine, (b) 10 and (c) more than 10 placements during the year ending 31 March, by Local Authority1,2 
			 Years ending 31 March 2009 to 2010 
			 Coverage: England 
			   Numbers 
			  2009   2010   
			  Between 5 and 9 10 More than 10 Between 5 and 9 10 More than 10 
			 England 1,200 40 110 1,200 40 90 
			 North East 70 x 10 70 x 10 
			 Darlington x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Durham 25 x x 30 x 5 
			 Gateshead x 0 0 x x 0 
			 Hartlepool x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Middlesbrough x 0 x x 0 0 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 5 0 0 5 0 0 
			 North Tyneside 5 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Northumberland x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South Tyneside 10 0 x 10 0 0 
			 Stockton-on-Tees x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Sunderland 10 0 0 5 0 x 
			 North West 190 10 20 200 x 20 
			 Blackburn with Darwen x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Blackpool x 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Bolton 15 0 5 10 0 10 
			 Bury 5 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Cheshire3 15 x 0 . . . 
			 Cheshire East3 . . . 10 0 0 
			 Cheshire West & Chester3 . . . 10 0 x 
			 Cumbria 5 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Halton x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Knowsley x 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Lancashire 25 0 0 15 0 0 
			 Liverpool 25 x x 30 x x 
			 Manchester 10 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Oldham x 0 x x x 0 
			 Rochdale 5 0 x 10 0 0 
			 Salford x 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Sefton 5 0 x 15 0 x 
			 St. Helens x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Stockport 5 0 x 15 0 x 
			 Tameside 5 x x x 0 0 
			 Trafford 10 x 0 x 0 0 
			 Warrington x 0 x 5 0 0 
			 Wigan 15 x x x 0 0 
			 Wirral 10 0 x 10 0 0 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 140 10 10 120 x 10 
			 Barnsley 10 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Bradford 15 x 0 10 0 0 
			 Calderdale 10 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Doncaster 15 0 x 10 x x 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 10 0 x 15 x x 
			 Kirklees 10 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Leeds 25 x 0 25 0 x 
			 North East Lincolnshire x 0 x x 0 0 
			 North Lincolnshire x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 5 0 x x 0 0 
			 Rotherham 10 x x 10 0 x 
			 Sheffield 10 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Wakefield 10 0 0 x 0 0 
			 York x 0 x x 0 x 
			 East Midlands 80 x x 70 x 0 
			 Derby 10 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 15 0 x 15 0 0 
			 Leicester 10 0 0 10 x 0 
			 Leicestershire 5 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire x 0 x x 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 25 x 0 15 x 0 
			 Nottingham 10 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Rutland 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 160 x 10 150 10 10 
			 Birmingham 50 0 0 45 x x 
			 Coventry 10 0 x 10 0 x 
			 Dudley 15 x 0 15 x 0 
			 Herefordshire x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Sandwell 5 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Shropshire x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Solihull 5 0 x 10 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 20 0 x 20 0 x 
			 Stoke-On-Trent 10 x x 10 x x 
			 Telford and Wrekin 5 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Walsall 5 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 15 0 0 10 x x 
			 Wolverhampton 5 x 0 10 0 0 
			 Worcestershire 5 0 0 10 0 0 
			 East of England 120 x 10 110 x x 
			 Bedfordshire3 5 0 x . . . 
			 Bedford3 . . . x 0 0 
			 Central Bedfordshire3 . . . 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 5 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Essex 20 0 x 20 0 x 
			 Hertfordshire 35 0 0 40 x x 
			 Luton 15 x x 5 0 0 
			 Norfolk 15 x 0 20 0 0 
			 Peterborough x 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea 5 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Suffolk 10 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Thurrock x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 London 210 10 20 230 10 20 
			 Inner London 100 x 10 100 x 10 
			 Camden 5 0 0 x 0 0 
			 City Of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hackney x x x x 0 0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham x 0 0 x 0 x 
			 Haringey 15 0 x 10 x 0 
			 Islington x 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea x x 5 x x x 
			 Lambeth 15 x 0 15 0 x 
			 Lewisham 10 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Newham 10 0 x 20 0 0 
			 Southwark 10 0 0 15 x 0 
			 Tower Hamlets x x 0 x 0 0 
			 Wandsworth x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Westminster x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Outer London 110 x 10 130 10 10 
			 Barking and Dagenham 15 x x 10 x x 
			 Barnet x 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Bexley x 0 0 x 0 x 
			 Brent 15 x x 20 0 0 
			 Bromley x 0 0 10 0 0 
			 Croydon 5 0 x 15 x 0 
			 Ealing x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Enfield 10 0 x x x x 
			 Greenwich 10 0 0 15 x 0 
			 Harrow x x x x x 0 
			 Havering 5 0 x x 0 0 
			 Hillingdon 5 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Hounslow 5 0 0 10 0 x 
			 Kingston Upon Thames x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Merton x 0 0 x x 0 
			 Redbridge x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Richmond Upon Thames x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Sutton x 0 x 10 x 0 
			 Waltham Forest 10 0 0 5 0 0 
			 South East 130 x 20 140 x 20 
			 Bracknell Forest x 0 0 5 0 x 
			 Brighton and Hove 10 0 0 5 0 x 
			 Buckinghamshire x 0 x x 0 x 
			 East Sussex 5 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Hampshire 30 x x 35 x 10 
			 Isle Of Wight 10 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Kent 15 0 x 25 0 x 
			 Medway Towns x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Milton Keynes x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Oxfordshire x 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Portsmouth x 0 x x 0 0 
			 Reading x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Slough x 0 x x 0 0 
			 Southampton 10 x 5 x 0 x 
			 Surrey 20 0 0 20 0 0 
			 West Berkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Sussex 5 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead x x 0 x 0 x 
			 Wokingham x 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South West 120 x 10 100 x 10 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 0 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Bournemouth x 0 0 x 0 x 
			 Bristol, City of 20 0 x 15 0 0 
			 Cornwall 15 x x 10 x x 
			 Devon 15 x 0 15 0 x 
			 Dorset 5 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 10 0 x 10 0 0 
			 Isles Of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Somerset 5 0 x x 0 x 
			 Plymouth 10 0 x 10 0 x 
			 Poole x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Somerset 10 0 0 10 0 0 
			 South Gloucestershire x 0 0 x x 0 
			 Swindon x 0 0 x 0 0 
			 Torbay 5 0 x x 0 x 
			 Wiltshire 10 0 0 10 0 x 
		
	
	Source: SSDA 903
	1 England totals have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000, and to the nearest 10 otherwise. Regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Other numbers have been rounded to the nearest five. Figures of five or less, other than zero, have been suppressed and replaced with a cross (x).
	2 Figures exclude children looked-after under an agreed series of short-term placements.
	3 In 2009, Cheshire Local Authority split into Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. Similarly, Bedfordshire LA split into Bedford and Central Bedfordshire.
	x Figures not shown in order to protect confidentiality.
	. Not applicable.

Civil Service: Recruitment

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to eliminate advertising for Civil Service job vacancies other than on the internet, as called for by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in July.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: On 24 May 2010, the Government announced a freeze on advertising and marketing spend. Exceptions to this are required to be cleared by Ministers.
	Departments have been asked to advertise their vacancies on the Civil Service jobs site to reduce recruitment spend but for some specialist posts, for example, professional journals may be considered necessary to attract the right candidate.
	On 24 May, the Government also announced a freeze on recruitment, with exceptions for frontline posts (with the approval of Permanent Secretaries, and Chief Executives), business-critical posts (with the approval of the Secretary of State) and the Fast Stream.

Civil Service: Redundancy

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants are facing redundancy (a) based in London, and (b) based outside London.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: These are matters which are dealt with at departmental level; the information requested is not collected centrally by the Cabinet Office.

Civil Service: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the maximum rate payable in the Home Civil Service in each of the following administrative grades: administrative assistant, administrative officer, executive officer, higher executive officer, and senior executive officer; how many and what percentage of civil servants in each grade are paid at the maximum scale rate; and what is the Northern Ireland Civil Service equivalent maximum rate in each case.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: For staff outside the Senior Civil Service (SCS), pay and grading is delegated to departments and agencies, enabling management to tailor reward arrangements that meet their own particular business, operational and workforce needs. Under the delegated arrangements, the Cabinet Office does not routinely collect the detailed information requested and grading classifications vary from department to department.
	The Office for National Statistics collects and publishes salary information covering the Home Civil Service as part of its Annual Civil Service Employment Survey. The latest available data, as at 31 March 2009, are available at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vink=2899.
	The Cabinet Office does not hold the information requested on pay arrangements in the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

Common Agricultural Policy

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in reforming the common agricultural policy since the United Kingdom's rebate was reduced by £1 billion.

Lord Henley: The 2003 common agricultural policy (CAP) reforms were reviewed in 2008 under the CAP Health Check. This made some changes to the CAP, but the UK believes that much more ambitious reform is needed. EU negotiations on CAP for the period 2014-20 will begin following the release of a Commission Communication in November 2010.

Death Penalty

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider means of requiring the exporters of drugs that are known to be used in executions, as well as for normal medical purposes, to obtain written undertakings from purchasers in countries that still use the death penalty that they will only use or supply the drug for therapeutic purposes.

Baroness Wilcox: As these matters are now the subject of litigation, it would be inappropriate to comment on the substance of the case at this time. The issues are however being given due consideration.

Development Aid

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much development aid was allocated by the European Development Fund to (a) Russia, and (b) China, in (1) 2007, (2) 2008 and (3) 2009.

Baroness Verma: European Union (EU) funding for China and Russia is through the Development Co- operation Instrument and the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument respectively, rather than the European Development Fund.
	EU commitments to Russia in 2007 were €80.9 million (£70.3 million), €42.3 million (£36.8 million) in 2008 and €7.9 million (£6.9 million) in 2009. The European Union no longer has a bilateral programme for Russia but continues to provide €15 million (£13 million) per year for student mobility and academic exchanges. Commitments to Russia are not classified as official development assistance (ODA) and the UK share does not come from the budget of the Department for International Development. EU commitments to China, which are classified as ODA, were €8.3 million (£7.2 million) in 2007, €77.5 million (£67.3 million) in 2008 and €21.5 million (18.7 million) in 2009. The UK Government support the Commission's policy to reduce assistance to Russia and China and continue to press for more EU aid to be allocated to the poorest countries.
	(Source: Europaid reports 2007, 2008 and 2009, http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/multimedia/publications/index_en.htm).

Economy: Growth

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will reconsider the decision to require a minimum bid level of £1 million from the Government's £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund in light of concerns expressed by the Federation of Small Businesses.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government held a public consultation about the Regional Growth Fund, one of the questions in the consultation was on the suggested minimum bid threshold of £1 million.
	There was a wide variety of a views expressed on the level of the threshold, some arguing for a lower threshold, others arguing for a higher threshold. On balance, it was decided to operate the fund on the basis of a minimum threshold of £1 million. This should encourage a wide diversity of bids, harnessing innovation from all sectors. Smaller proposals can be presented as part of a coherent package of projects, collectively meeting the needs of local economic strategies and the aims of the fund. In some areas, small-scale proposals may be put forward as bids to investment bodies and partnerships operating Regional Growth Fund programmes.
	The Government have committed the independent advisory panel to review the threshold limit after the end of the first bidding round.

Economy: Quantitative Easing

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to reverse quantitative easing; and, if so, how.

Lord Sassoon: The Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for monetary policy including management of the asset purchase facility.

Education: ESOL

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will determine whether individuals are members of "settled communities" for the purpose of deciding whether they may access funded classes in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

Baroness Wilcox: The Government recognise that when people come here and settle it is desirable to help them learn English, to integrate into society and gain useful employment. The term "settled communities" is a generic term which will mean different groups in different communities. We are therefore considering the options for ESOL further, with a view to combining efficiency with cost effectiveness.

Educational Maintenance Allowance

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the educational maintenance allowance for 16 to 19 year-olds in full-time education will be withdrawn.

Lord Hill of Oareford: EMA applications received by 31 December will be processed, and those young people who are assessed as eligible will be able to claim the allowance up to the end of the 2010-11 academic year.
	The education maintenance allowance scheme will close to all students at the end of the 2010-11 academic year. It will be replaced with an enhanced discretionary learner support fund, managed by schools, colleges and training providers, so that help can be targeted to those who most need it to continue with their education.

EU: UK Rebate

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 21 October (WA 228) concerning a meeting of European Commissioners on 7 October, why no minute was made of this meeting; and which other meetings of European Union institutions are not minuted.

Lord Sassoon: Although discussions of the College of Commissioners are confidential and closed to the public, minutes are normally made available on the European Commission website. However, the minutes of some policy discussions (such as the meetings of Commissioner groups) are not made public. Given that the meeting of 7 October included a policy orientation debate on the Commission's Budget Review, it was not clear whether minutes of the orientation debate would be made public.
	Minutes of the College of Commissioners' meeting of 7 October, including a summary of the orientation debate on the Budget Review, were eventually published, later than expected. The minutes contain very general references and do not attribute comments to individual Commissioners, neither do they contain any specific reference to the UK abatement. The minutes can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/10061/2010/EN/10061-2010-1931-EN-F-0.Pdf.
	Meetings of the European Parliament are generally open to the public and minutes are available on the Parliament's website, although certain elements of plenary sessions are held in camera.
	The Council of Ministers meets in public when it deliberates and votes on draft legislative acts, although meetings are divided into two parts and discussions of non-legislative issues held in camera. The Council of Ministers and the European Council both publish detailed conclusions of their meetings.

Finance: Bonds

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have asked the Debt Management Office to investigate the terms on which the Government could issue perpetual sterling bonds; and whether they would issue such bonds if the terms were attractive.

Lord Sassoon: The Government are not currently considering issuing perpetual sterling bonds. The Government remain open to the possibility of issuing new instrument types and will continue to apply the following criteria to its consideration of any potential new types of debt financing instrument:
	consistency with the debt management objective and the principles on which debt management is based;impact on liquidity and the good functioning more generally of the gilt market;the likely size of demand for the new instrument; andan assessment of the cost and resource commitment required for implementation in comparison with the potential size of demand.

Finance: Fiscal Deficit

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the deficit is accounted for by money used to bail out the banks.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Baroness Tonge, dated 5 November 2010.
	As Director General of the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to Her Majesty's Government on the proportion of the deficit that is accounted for by money used to bail out the banks. HL3447
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces statistics according to internationally agreed national accounts standards. These statistics include those on government deficit and debt reported to Eurostat, the European statistical agency, and published every six months by ONS in Government deficit and debt under the Maastricht Treaty: Statistical Bulletin, available at: www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/maast0910.pdf.
	Table M9 in this bulletin details the impacts of the financial crisis on general government, that is central government and local government, deficit. It details the amounts attributed to the financial crisis relating to government revenue (guarantee fees receivable, interest receivable, dividends received and other) and government expenditure (interest payable, capital injections, guarantee calls and other).
	The latest figures for the amounts attributed to the financial crisis, published in Table M9, and the proportions that these represent of the government net borrowing figures published in Table M1 of the bulletin, are shown in the table below:
	
		
			  2008 2009 
			 General government net borrowing £billion 71.2 157.1 
			 Amount attributed £billion 4.8 7.6 
			 to the financial crisis % of total 6.7% 4.8%

Finance: Lending Rates

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to limit the total lending rate and repayment charges that can be levied by any financial provider.

Baroness Wilcox: Well-informed, empowered consumers are central to the Government's vision for how a credit market between customers and lenders should work. We want to encourage responsible lending and borrowing decisions and to strengthen protection where necessary, particularly for the most vulnerable. Edward Davey, Minister for Consumer Affairs, announced a joint BIS and HM Treasury review of consumer credit and personal insolvency and my department issued a formal call for evidence on 15 October. The Government have committed to tackle unfair bank charges and to give regulators the power to define and ban excessive interest rates on credit and store cards. We are using the review to gather the evidence, we need to ensure we take the right long-term decisions for consumers.
	The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) recently considered the possible introduction of price controls on interest rates on products such as pawnbroking, payday loans and home collected credit as part of its review of high cost consumer finance products. The review concluded that price controls would not be a suitable solution to the concerns the OFT identified. The OFT made a number of recommendations aimed at improving the market for consumers and these are also being considered as part of the review.

Food: Labelling

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to combat misleading labelling of food products.

Lord Henley: The Government have made a commitment to clear and honest food labelling.
	Existing legislation both on food labelling and unfair commercial practices makes misleading labelling illegal and allows appropriate enforcement action to be taken. Labelling requirements are currently under review at EU level and we are seeking as part of the negotiations greater clarity of information where some labels are considered confusing; e.g. country of origin labelling.
	The enforcement of labelling regulations is the responsibility of local authorities. To support their work the Government also has a Food Authenticity research programme developing analytical methods to help combat misleading labelling and food fraud.

Government Department: Salaries

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 21 October (WA 193), whether they will publish the amounts paid to each Minister on termination of employment following the general election; and why payments to special advisers will not be disclosed when their names and salaries were in the public domain.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Individual ministerial severance payments can be ascertained by consulting Parliamentary Factsheet M6-Ministerial Salaries. Where former Ministers were eligible, payments were made of one quarter of their annual ministerial salary as at 1 November 2007. The salaries of special advisers employed under the previous Administration have never been published by Government.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many interns are currently working in the Cabinet Office; whether each receives remuneration; and, if so, how much is paid per hour; and, if not, on what basis they are engaged.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: As at 31 October 2010, seven interns are working in the Cabinet Office; each intern is paid a salary which is commensurate with the grade of the role being filled.

Higher Education

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officials in the Department for Education work specifically on (a) issues related to the education and training of 16-19 year-olds, (b) policies relating to GCSEs, and (c) policies related to A-levels.

Lord Hill of Oareford: There are nine people working directly on issues and policies around the participation in education and training of 16-19 year-olds and three on policy on GCSEs and A-levels. This number includes full-time and part-time staff. Other teams within the department work on policies and programmes which also affect these-for example, in connection with provision, workforce and support for children and young people. Details of senior and junior staff working in each directorate of the department are published on the department's website at:
	www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/transparency

Higher Education: Funding

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) full-time, and (b) part-time, student places were allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to (1) higher education institutes, (2) further education colleges, and (3) private providers of undergraduate courses funded through the block teaching grant in each of the years 2007-08 to 2010-11.

Baroness Wilcox: All higher education institutions are independent of government and are not part of the public sector. The Higher Education Funding Council for England allocates places on a full-time-equivalent (FTE) basis to publicly funded institutions. The table below gives the number of HEFCE-funded FTEs for the years 2007-8 to 2010-11. There are no figures for (3) above as, by definition, HEFCE does not allocate places to non-publicly funded providers.
	
		
			 FTEs funded by HEFCE 2007-08 to 2010-11 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			  HEIs FECs HEIs FECs HEIs FECs HEIs FECs 
			 Total FTEs 984,973 37,407 934,248 37,686 961,703 410,941 986,357 44,612 
		
	
	The reduction in places in 2008-09 is due to the Equivalent and Lower Qualifications policy, which removed teaching grant for those students studying for a qualification equivalent or lower to one that they already hold.

Higher Education: Tuition Fees

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many universities they forecast will charge the maximum fee of £9,000.

Baroness Wilcox: It is not possible to make an accurate assessment of the number of institutions who will decide to charge the maximum permitted contribution for some or any of the courses they offer from 2012-13 onwards. Those that do choose to do so will have to have entered into a new and strengthened access agreement with the Office for Fair Access, including a set of access benchmarks they must make acceptable progress towards. The Government's proposals for changes to graduate contributions are expected to be brought before Parliament before Christmas this year.

Higher Education: Tuition Time

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the average four hours per week tuition contact time for university students; and whether they consider it will increase proportionately when student tuition fees increase in 2012.

Baroness Wilcox: The reforms the Government have announced to university funding will place student choice and power at the heart of the system. Higher education institutions will need to demonstrate to students that they are providing a high quality experience. The coalition Government expect all universities and colleges, whatever graduate contribution they decide to charge, to publish a standard set of information about their performance on the indicators that students and their parents value, including: contact hours, teaching patterns and employment outcomes.
	Higher education institutions (HEIs) are responsible for determining the most appropriate amount of contact time for their individual courses. This will often include a combination of tutorials, lectures, one-to-one contact or other forms of supervised scheduled study sessions. The Government have not made an assessment of the contact time HEIs provide.

HMS "Ark Royal"

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of the refit of HMS "Ark Royal"; and when it was completed.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they anticipate that the next refit of HMS "Ark Royal" will be required.

Lord Astor of Hever: The most recent refit of HMS "Ark Royal" was completed in 2001, in Rosyth Dockyard, at a cost of £148 million. Since then HMS "Ark Royal" has had two further periods of deep maintenance, one in 2006 in Rosyth and one in 2009 in Portsmouth. These were completed at a cost of approximately £20 million and approximately £14 million respectively.
	Following the decision, as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (Cm7948), to immediately decommission HMS "Ark Royal", no further refits or deep maintenance periods will be undertaken.

Housing

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tenancies have been let in the affordable housing sector in each year since 2005.

Baroness Hanham: Information is currently only collected on the social housing sector.
	Information on the number of households receiving social housing is collected through the continuous recording of letting form (CORE). Historically CORE has only collected information from registered social landlords, though a number of local authorities are now also providing information through this process. Information on local authority lettings is taken from the housing strategy statistical appendix (HSSA).
	
		
			 Number of lettings in the social housing sector, 2004-05 to 2008-09, England 
			  LA lets RSL lets Total 
			 2004-05 194,100 220,200 414,300 
			 2005-06 173,900 220,600 394,500 
			 2006-07 160,200 222,600 382,800 
			 2007-08 143,300 221,400 364,800 
			 2008-09 138,600 239,600 378,200 
		
	
	Source: HSSA lettings returns (LA lets) and CORE lettings returns (RSL lets)
	Figures exclude mutual exchanges.
	Figures rounded to the nearest 100.

Housing

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tenancies they estimate will be created on five-year fixed-term lets in each year between 2011 and 2015.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to allow any exemptions to their planned five-year fixed-term tenancies.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of five-year fixed-term tenancies on community cohesion.

Baroness Hanham: We have opened a debate about how we can create a social housing system that will provide stability where it is needed; provide more choice for tenants and prospective tenants; protect vulnerable households; and help get people into long-term employment. At the Spending Review, we announced plans for a new affordable rent, which will give housing associations another option to offer households in need of support. Further details will be set out shortly.

Housing

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will bring forward proposals to remove local authorities from their role as landlords and enhance their role as strategic housing authorities.

Baroness Hanham: We have no such plans. Individual local authorities, in consultation with their tenants, have discretion to decide whether to retain their landlord role.

Immigration

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the immigration cap does not lead to companies moving jobs abroad.

Baroness Neville-Jones: This Government believe that Britain can benefit from migration but not uncontrolled migration. Britain remains open for business and we will continue to attract and retain the brightest and the best people who can make a real difference to our economic growth, but unlimited migration places unacceptable pressure on public services.
	We have consulted with business and other interested parties on how the limit should work and have also asked the Migration Advisory Committee to consult on what the actual limit should be. These consultations are now closed and we will announce the findings in due course.

Immigration: Heathrow Airport

Baroness Valentine: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the previous Administration's performance targets on immigration queues at Heathrow airport remain in place; whether performance is consistently improving against those targets; and what rewards or sanctions are in place to incentivise the UK Border Agency to meet these targets.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The UKBA Border Force at Heathrow continues to monitor performance on passenger waiting times daily against targets set out in its business plan. There has been no alteration to these targets which remain challenging but are being met through intelligent allocation and deployment of resources both through planning ahead of time (duty rosters balancing staff to anticipated demand) and more immediate daily responses to fluctuating peaks and troughs experienced as a result of arrival of aircraft outside published schedules.
	Performance data, year to date, confirm that 98 per cent of passengers have been processed within agreed times. Although there are no specific incentives or sanctions, Border force managers and staff continue to strive to achieve their targets while ensuring that the quality standards required to ensure the security of the UK border are maintained.

Immigration: Heathrow Airport

Baroness Valentine: To ask Her Majesty's Government what technological improvements the UK Border Agency has considered to enable it to process immigration queues at Heathrow airport more efficiently; and which it will implement.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The UKBA currently operates two automated gate schemes, e-Passport Gates and IRIS, at Heathrow airport. IRIS is currently available at nine locations throughout the UK including Heathrow Terminals one, three, four and five. IRIS is open to all nationals who are 18 years-old or over who successfully enrol onto the scheme. e-Passport gates have been available on a trial basis at 10 terminals throughout the UK since 2009 and have been recently introduced at Heathrow Terminals one, four and five and will be extended to Terminal three in the new year as part of the current refurbishment programme. e-Passport gates are open to EEA nationals 18 years and over who hold a biometric passport.
	In addition, we are currently working in partnership with the port operator, BAA at Heathrow Airport, to consider the delivery of the next generation of pre-enrolment or trusted traveller schemes at that location.
	Automation of processes at the border can help us process larger numbers of passengers and in particular automated gates can enable us to expedite the movement of certain travellers.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they and the Quartet will make representations to the Government of Israel regarding the refusals of licences to Palestinians to build in East Jerusalem and the threat of demolition to existing Palestinian dwellings in East Jerusalem.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK has a strong record of lobbying hard on issues relating to house demolitions and settlement building. East Jerusalem is occupied territory under international law: we do not recognise Israel's annexation.
	House demolitions or the eviction of Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalem, such as the recent evictions which took place in the Old City, are deeply unhelpful. We view any attempts to change the facts on the ground as a serious provocation likely to raise tensions, as well as being harmful to the peace process and, of course, in contravention of international law.
	My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary underlined his concerns about ongoing Israeli settlement activity during his visit to the region on 2-4 November.

Local Economic Partnerships

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the procedure and timetable for further consideration of the proposals for local economic partnerships in Lancashire.

Baroness Hanham: On 28 October, the Government published their local growth White Paper, which set out its approach to achieving local economic growth by shifting power to local levels and helping to create the right conditions for growth and recovery. This included announcing the first local enterprise partnerships which would proceed.
	Government will work with the relevant local authority and business partners in Lancashire and other parts of the country where no local enterprise partnership has been announced, in order to ensure future proposals allow all areas to progress, and I have asked my officials to engage directly with local partners. Government will welcome revised proposals from these places as they become ready.

Malaysia

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to clarify the rights of abode and citizenship of British Overseas Citizens of Malaysian origin; and whether they will place anonymised copies of all correspondence on the subject with the Malaysian High Commission in the Library of the House.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Immigration Minister wrote to the Malaysian High Commission on 22 July to clarify the legal position regarding British Overseas citizens who have renounced their Malaysian citizenship since arriving in the United Kingdom on the false understanding that they would then have a route to settlement or to British citizenship in their capacity as British Overseas citizens. In particular, he sought clarification as to what steps those individuals could take to reacquire Malaysian nationality given that they do not have a route to settlement or a registration right to British citizenship under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981. He also asked the Malaysian High Commission to point out the implications in relation to United Kingdom immigration and nationality law to those seeking to renounce Malaysian nationality in the future with a view to reducing the number of erroneous renunciations. I will arrange for a copy of this letter to be placed in the Library.
	I am afraid that to date no response has been received to this letter. However, the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has been pursuing this with the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we hope that this matter will be resolved in the near future with a view to those affected being deemed to have retained, or being able to reacquire, Malaysian citizenship.

Papal Visit

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the basis of the calculation of the financial contribution of each department concerned towards the cost of the state visit of Pope Benedict to the United Kingdom.

Lord Sassoon: At the request of Lord Patten of Barnes, as the Prime Minister's Personal Representative for the Papal Visit, the Treasury proposed in July 2010 a division of costs.
	Ministers agreed that costs of the state visit falling to the Government would be divided among departments with an interest in the visit and involved in the planning process. Some costs relating to devolved issues will fall to the Scottish Government and to some local authorities. Policing costs will be covered from within existing police budgets.

People Trafficking

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Governments of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan with regard to trafficking of bonded labourers in those countries.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK has just led a resolution, passed by consensus at the September UN Human Rights Council, on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, which calls upon all Governments to co-operate fully with the UN Special Rapporteur on the subject.
	Although there have been no recent discussions with the Governments of Bangladesh, India and Nepal on bonded labour specifically, we raise our human rights concerns with these Governments at every appropriate opportunity. In Nepal the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights actively monitors the Government's commitments to rehabilitate former bonded labourers. In Pakistan, the UK and EU raise the issue of bonded labour with the Government of Pakistan as part of our regular dialogue on human rights.

People Trafficking

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the national referral mechanism decides that there are reasonable grounds for believing that a person has been trafficked (a) without seeing the person, (b) without hearing any legal submissions, and (c) without any possibility of appeal.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The national referral mechanism (NRM) is a multi-agency victim identification and support process.
	The person will always be seen by one or more of the national referral mechanism's constituent members prior to the reasonable grounds decision.
	When legal submissions are made available to the competent authority decision maker they will be considered as part of the decision-making process.
	There is no requirement under the Council of Europe Convention against trafficking to create a specific right of appeal. The reasonable grounds decision is a low threshold which is made following multi-agency consultation and engagement. There is also an opportunity for interested parties to provide additional information if the competent authority is initially unable to make a positive identification. This helps to ensure that the right decisions are taken and victims are properly identified. There are also standard avenues for appealing immigration decisions, and a reasonable grounds decision can be subject to judicial review.

People Trafficking

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the national referral mechanism guarantees the rights set out in the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, specifically those relating to compensation and legal redress.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Through the national referral mechanism (NRM), identified victims of trafficking can access all of the convention entitlements. With regard to compensation and legal redress, victims receive counselling and information regarding their legal rights and assistance to enable their rights and interests to be presented and considered at appropriate stages of criminal justice proceedings against traffickers. There are various means by which redress can be sought.
	This includes prosecutors requesting compensation orders upon a conviction and through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. Victims can also seek redress from the offender through the civil courts.

People Trafficking

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in light of Article 3 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, they treat human trafficking across frontiers primarily as an immigration or a human rights issue.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The Government are committed to the non-discrimination principle set out in Article 3 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings. Its primary concern is to identify and protect victims of human trafficking and bring to justice those that exploit them. Any consideration of a victim's nationality or immigration status is of secondary importance.
	The national referral mechanism which was set up under the convention to identify and support trafficking victims is open to potential victims of all nationalities. Individuals from 79 different nationalities, including Britain and EU countries have had their cases referred for consideration in its first 18 months of operation.

People Trafficking

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether women suspected of being trafficked are routinely detained while their asylum cases are considered; and, if so, whether they will review this practice.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Women suspected of being trafficked are not routinely detained, whether or not they have asylum claims to be considered. If an individual is already detained at the point trafficking is first suspected by the UK Border Agency they would normally be released, pending consideration of their case by an expert competent authority. Detention of recognised trafficking victims occurs only in exceptional cases-for example, following a criminal conviction.

Private Sector: Degree Awards

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to allow private sector companies to have degree-awarding powers.

Baroness Wilcox: All higher education institutions are independent of the Government and are not part of the public sector. Non-publicly funded companies providing higher education, like any other provider of higher education, have been able to apply to the Privy Council for powers to award their own degrees since the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 came into force. In 2007 BPP University College of Professional Studies became the first private sector company to be granted taught-degree-awarding powers.
	The Government want to make it easier for new providers who can offer excellent teaching and a high-quality experience for students to enter the higher education sector. However, this is one of a number of institutional issues in the wake of Lord Browne's independent review of higher education and student finance which requires thorough debate and consultation. We intend therefore to publish a higher education White Paper with proposals to which experts from the sector can react, leading to a Higher Education Bill.

Questions for Written Answers

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 21 October (WA 202), what guidance they have issued to departments on the use of published documents and web-based statistics in parliamentary Answers.

Lord Strathclyde: The Guide to Parliamentary Work, published by the Cabinet Office in October 2009, contains the following guidance about the use of published documents and web-based statistics in parliamentary Answers:
	Readily available information and published sources
	7.32 Members are advised that Questions "must be seeking information that is not readily available elsewhere in the public domain'' (including in Answers to identical or similar Questions in a previous Session). Increasingly, this is the case as more and more information is available on government websites, though not necessarily in the format requested in the Question.
	7.33 Where an Answer makes use of published material (e.g. statistics, economic data or quotations from reports) the source should be given, as appropriate, either in the text of the Answer or as a footnote. Attached papers (for example, statistical tables) should be deposited in the Libraries of the House. If reference is made to documents in a response, copies of these documents must also be placed in the Library.
	Referring to websites or other published material
	7.37 Where information already exists on a Government website, it may not be appropriate to simply give the web address in the Answer. MPs may want information placed on the permanent record (ie in Hansard) and web pages are rarely permanent. Furthermore, departments should be helpful to MPs and Peers, particularly where the fact or figure requested is contained in a much larger set of information.
	7.38 If referring to websites, it is important to consider the implications. departments are advised to ensure that any URL given in an Answer connects directly to the information referred to (not a departmental homepage) and is working.
	Links provided should be available in perpetuity. Any information referred to in this way should be supplied to the Member in hard copy, and deposited in the Library in accordance with relevant guidance. In short;
	when copying the link use the URL that connects directly to the webpage/document referred to. Do not simply provide a link to the relevant website;when the URL has been inserted double-check it is accurate by clicking on it and checking that there is a straight link to the relevant Webpage/document; andit is helpful to add in the title/heading of the Webpage/document, its author and the website the information appears on to assist users in interpretation.
	7.39 It is advised that the Answer should give the Member the factual information requested (including supplying paper copies of the website pages), with an additional line in the Answer indicating that the information is already made readily available. In the long term, this may help to reduce the amount of questions seeking information that is already publicly available.
	7.40 Similarly, where the information requested is available in a document that has already been placed in the Library it may not be appropriate to simply refer to the document. Departments are advised to copy the requested information from the main document, where this is appropriate, to assist MPs and Peers. This is particularly helpful where a requested figure is contained as part of a much larger table.
	7.41 Where an Answer makes use of published material (e.g. statistics, economic data or quotations from reports) the source should be given, as appropriate, either in the text of the Answer or as a footnote. Attached papers (for example, statistical tables) should be deposited in the Library. If reference is made to documents in a response, copies of these documents must also be placed in the Library.
	The Guide to Parliamentary Work is produced by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons. It is published on the Cabinet Office website at the following address:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/parliamentary-clerk-guide.aspx
	A hard copy of the Guide has been deposited in the Library of the House.
	1 Business of the House and its Committees - a short guide (July 2008)

Railways: Ticketing

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 2 November (WA 397), what action they intend to take with the franchise holder in light of the finding by Passenger Focus in their report of August 2010 that queue times to buy tickets from the booking offices at Basingstoke, Guildford and Winchester substantially exceeded the recommended thresholds.

Earl Attlee: Officials at the Department for Transport have already had several discussions with Stagecoach South Western Trains (SSWT) on how they plan the use of their resources to meet their obligations in terms of queuing standards and actions that they are taking to improve their performance.
	Government officials will continue to keep this under review with the train operator.

Schools: Male Teachers

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many men are being trained as teachers.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The available information is given in the table and shows that in 2008-09 there were 9,810 male trainees in the first year of an initial teacher training course.
	
		
			 Initial teacher training: First year trainees by course route, phase and gender: 
			 Year 2008-09 
			 Coverage: England 
			  Mainstream Employment-based routes 
			  Primary Secondary Total Primary Secondary Total 
			 Males 2,150 5,670 7,820 410 1,580 1,990 
			 All trainees 15,050 15,150 30,200 2,300 4,270 6,570 
			 Percentage of trainees who are male 14.3% 37.4% 25.9% 17.7% 37.1% 30.3% 
		
	
	Source: TDA's Performance Profiles
	1. Includes trainees in the first year of their initial teacher training course.
	2. Percentages show the number of male trainees as a proportion of all first year trainees.
	3. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Spending Review 2010

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Statement by Lord Sassoon on 20 October (Official Report, col. 833), whether they included the number of Ministers when they said "the administrative budgets of every main government department will be cut by a third".

Lord Sassoon: Departmental administration budgets cover all spending which is not directly related to frontline service provision. For the most part, the pay and private office support costs of Ministers will therefore fall within administration budgets.
	It is for individual departments to decide how to implement their administration budget reductions. Reductions of one third are not required in every budget area, but across each department's administration budget as a whole. There is, therefore, no necessary connection between cuts in administration budgets and the number of Ministers.
	The Cabinet decided to take a 5 per cent pay cut when the coalition Government came into office. Pay will then be frozen for the next five years.

Spending Review 2010

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision is made in each year of Spending Review 2010 for the maintenance support of 16 to 19 year-olds in full-time education.

Lord Sassoon: In future, an enhanced discretionary learner support fund, managed locally, will enable schools, colleges and training providers to target support to those young people facing the most significant financial barriers to participation. The Department for Education will announce further details in due course.
	The Spending Review announced the end of education maintenance allowances (EMAs). EMAs were introduced as an incentive for young people to participate. In the context of raising the participation age to 18 in 2015, after which it will be compulsory for all young people to participate in learning, a payment designed as an incentive to participation is no longer the most appropriate way to provide support. Those currently in receipt of EMAs will continue to receive it until the end of this academic year. The scheme will be closed to new applicants from January 2011.
	In addition, provision will still be made to pay child benefit to qualifying young people aged 16 to 19 in the normal way. In order to be a qualifying young person, the 16 to 19 year-old must be undertaking non-advanced further education or qualifying work-based learning courses.

Spending Review 2010

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Statement by Lord Sassoon on 20 October (Official Report, col. 831) on the Spending Review 2010 in which he stated that "the Office for Budget Responsibility has ... audited all of the annually managed expenditure savings in today's Statement", what was the audit process; and whether they will place a copy of the audit document in the Library of the House.

Lord Sassoon: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). I have asked the OBR to reply.
	Letter from Robert Chote, Chairman, Office for Budget Responsibility, to Lord Myners, dated 4 November 2010.
	As Chair of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility I have been asked to reply to your recent question:
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Statement by Lord Sassoon on 20 October (HL Deb col. 831) on the Spending Review 2010 in which he stated that "the Office for Budget Responsibility has ... audited all of the annually managed expenditure savings in today's Statement", what was the audit process; and whether they will place a copy of the audit document in the Library of the House. [HL3438]
	The OBR scrutinised costings produced by the Government using the methodology set out in the Spending Review 2010 policy costings document.
	Chapter 3 of the document outlines the approach that we used to scrutinise and challenge these costings.
	The document was published alongside the Spending Review documents on the HM Treasury website on 20 October 2010. It is also available via a link on our website at http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/ publications.html.
	Copies were also issued to Parliament and placed in the Library of the House.

Spending Review 2010

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) full-time, and (b) part-time, student places they expect to fund through the student loan system for undergraduate courses in each of the years covered by Spending Review 2010.

Baroness Wilcox: The numbers of full- and part-time students applying for maintenance and tuition fee loan support from Autumn 2012 will depend on how students and institutions respond to the changes outlined in the Governments response to the Browne Review on Higher Education Funding, and how many students decide to take up the loan support that is available to them. Confirmed projections of numbers for each of the years of the spending review are therefore not possible. However, based on current data, it is likely that, under the proposed changes to the support package, around 1 million full-time students and 150,000 part-time students will be eligible for loan support.

Spending Review 2010

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what amount is allocated for student loans in each of the years covered by Spending Review 2010; and on what basis the amounts were calculated.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government announced on 3 November, as part of their response to Lord Browne's review of higher education funding and student finance, that it will provide loans to cover the cost of tuition for all eligible full-time and part-time students from Autumn 2012. The Government will also introduce a revised maintenance grant and loan for living costs for full-time students. The cost of these changes over the Spending Review period will depend in large measure on the decisions higher education institutions take in setting their charges for tuition.

Sudan

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what links they have with the Southern Sudanese diaspora in the United Kingdom; and whether they will encourage this diaspora to play a role in the rehabilitation of the south after a referendum held in Sudan on the future of the south.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are in contact with the Southern Sudanese diaspora through a range of organisations including non-governmental organisations, church groups, the Sudanese embassy and Southern Sudan Liaison Office.
	We will continue to work closely with relevant organisations and encourage a role for all Sudanese diaspora in the future of their country.

Taxation: Non-domiciled Taxpayers

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government when HM Treasury expect to report the conclusions of its review of non-domicile tax status.

Lord Sassoon: As stated in my reply to the noble Lord on 8 July 2010, a detailed announcement about the form, timing and scope of the review will be made at the appropriate time.

Transparency

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the activities of government where the decision-making process is now more transparent than on 11 May.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Since 11 May, Her Majesty's Government have delivered on our promise to radically shake-up what transparency means in government.
	We have already taken those important first steps and released information about spending data, public servant jobs and salaries that had been previously unavailable data, so that people can start to really hold politicians and government to account.
	We have also set up the Transparency Board to keep pushing the transparency agenda and ensure our commitments continue to be implemented across government as announced by the Prime Minister in his letter to Cabinet Ministers on 29 May. The board is itself transparent and publishes the minutes and papers. In addition to making more data available than ever before, we will also be giving people a right to data so that they can ask for any other data they want to enable them to judge the performance of each public service.

Turkey

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they or their European Union partners have made to the Government of Turkey with regard to gender inequality.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Gender equality and women's rights are key issues for the UK Government and form part of our ongoing discussions with the Turkish authorities on human rights. This issue is also covered by the European Commission in Ankara in its regular meetings with the Turkish authorities.
	Gender equality in Turkey is an issue that the UK Government have also done a lot of practical work on. We have run two projects in the last two years:
	FY2009/10: Bilateral Programme Budget (BPB) project on women in employment (a study on why women are underemployed in the formal economy)FY2010/11: BPB project on women's rights (a research project with over 1,500 women establishing a baseline understanding of their situation and needs)
	In support of their lobbying work, the EU has six projects on gender equality, worth approximately 8.5 million Euros, running in FY2010/11. These cover issues such as domestic violence, honour killings, equality in education and the protection of sex workers.